Torrey Pine

Torrey Pine :: Pinus torreyana

Bad at Goodbyes :: Episode 078

On today’s show we learn about the Torrey Pine, a critically endangered evergreen conifer, native to the North American Pacific coast, with two populations in California, one near San Diego and one on Santa Rosa Island near Santa Barbara. Its scientific name is Pinus torreyana and it was first described in 1855.

• (00:05) Intro
• (02:05) Species Information
• (22:46) Citations
• (24:29) Music
• (30:39) Pledge

For more information about Torrey Pines conservation, please see the Torrey Pine Conservancy at https://www.torreypines.org

Research for today’s show was compiled from:

• American Conifer Society. n.d. “Pinus torreyana.” American Conifer Society. – https://conifersociety.org/conifers/pinus-torreyana
• Biondi, Franco, Daniel R. Cayan, and Wolfgang H. Berger. 1997. "Dendroclimatology of Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana Parry ex Carr.)." The American Midland Naturalist 138 (2): 237–51. – https://doi.org/10.2307/2426817
• California State Parks. n.d. "Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve." Accessed May 16, 2026. – https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=657
• Di Santo, L.N., Mead, A., Wright, J.W. and Hamilton, J.A. (2025), Genetic Basis of Reproductive Isolation in Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana Parry): Insights From Hybridization and Adaptation. Evolutionary Applications, 18: e70094. – https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70094
• Di Santo, L. N., Hoban, S., Parchman, T. L., Wright, J. W., & Hamilton, J. A. (2022). Reduced representation sequencing to understand the evolutionary history of Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana parry) with implications for rare species conservation. Molecular Ecology, 31, 4622–4639. – https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16615
• Esser, Lora L. 1993. "Pinus torreyana." In Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. – https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/pintor/all.html
• Farjon, A. 2013. Pinus torreyana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T42424A2979186. – https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42424A2979186.en
• Hamilton, Jill A., Alayna Mead, Jessica W. Wright, and Mikhail V. Matz. 2017. "Genetic Conservation and Management of the California Endemic, Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana Parry): Implications of Genetic Rescue in a Genetically Depauperate Species." Ecology and Evolution 7 (18): 7370–81. – https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3306
• Johnson, M., Vander Wall, S.B. & Borchert, M. A comparative analysis of seed and cone characteristics and seed-dispersal strategies of three pines in the subsection Sabinianae . Plant Ecology 168, 69–84 (2003). – https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024470224134
• McMaster, Gregory S., and Paul H. Zedler. 1981. "Delayed Seed Dispersal in Pinus torreyana (Torrey Pine)." Oecologia 51 (1): 62–66. – https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00344654
• Steele, Stephanie, and Christa Horn. 2021. "The Torrey Pine." Zoonooz, January 20, 2021. – https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/story-hub/zoonooz/the-torrey-pine
• Tianshi, E., Chau, P.C. Foliar water uptake in the needles of Pinus torreyana. Plant Ecology 223, 465–477 (2022). - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-022-01222-z
• Wells, Molly L., and Arthur Getis. 1999. "The Spatial Characteristics of Stand Structure in Pinus torreyana." Plant Ecology 143 (2): 153–70. – https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009866702320
• Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torrey_pine
• Williams, A., Still, C., Fischer, D., & Leavitt, S. (2008). The influence of summertime fog and overcast clouds on the growth of a coastal Californian pine: a tree-ring study. Oecologia, 156(3), 601-611. Pubmed ID: 18368424. – http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-008-1025-y

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A note on accuracy: I strive for it! These episodes are well-researched and built from scholarly sources, hoping to provide an informed and accurate portrait of these species. That said, I’m a musician! I am not an academic and have limited scientific background. I may get things wrong! If you are using this podcast for scholarship of any kind, please see the cited sources and double-check all information.